This year’s supermarket shortages of wholehead (not prepared or processed) produce, particularly fresh salad items, highlighted the fact that the UK is no longer the destination of choice that it was 25 years ago. read more

South African Cape Sweet organic sweet potatoes are widely available at the Dutch company Organic Cape again. "These sweet potatoes are of excellent quality. Once harvested, they're kept in cold storage for two weeks to reach top quality and shelf life," says Organic Cape's Leo Stoker. read more

A report prepared by Hortoinfo with data from the EuroStacom statistical services (ICEX-Eurostat) reveals that 31% of the tomatoes sold in the first quarter of the year in the EU came from Morocco and that the tomatoes from Spain only accounted for 25% of the tomatoes sold in the EU in that
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Although efforts to promote potato cultivation in Namibia are intensifying, the production of this crop is still insufficient for the nation’s demand, so imports are necessary. Potatoes are one of the crops on the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) special list that are open for importation
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Ugandan scientists have developed a genetically modified banana that took millions of dollars and 20 years to make. It contains so much provitamin A, a substance that transforms into vitamin A in the body, that its flesh has a distinctive orange tint. read more

A massive sandstorm ravaged Egypt in early June. Violent winds laden with dust and sand severely disrupted traffic in the country. Its impact on agriculture, and arboriculture in particular, was grandiose, with entire harvests destroyed. Ramadan Elsayyad, Palm Hills Export Manager, describes the
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Eastern and Southern African trade promotion organisations are pushing Kenya to rescind its recent agreement with the EU. They claim the deal will endanger the integration of East Africa and the continent as a whole, as well as the ongoing trade initiatives like African Continental Free Trade Area. read more

A lack of support from South Africa’s government in ensuring an effective citrus export industry has been highlighted, as losses mount from a variety of problems. read more

A series of destructive winter storms sweeping over the South African Western Cape region has affected citrus crops. For ten days, all citrus harvesting in the Oliphant’s River Valley, the most important region supplying summer citrus to the US, has been suspended. Infrastructure in the Valley
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Vietnam is the most important global producer of pitahayas and the hunger for this exotic fruit is greatest in China. But demand for the so-called dragon fruit is also increasing within the Northern Hemisphere, which is why more and more pitahayas are also being produced in South Africa.
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The South African citrus industry is now continuing its campaign against the new EU citrus import regulations at the upcoming African Union-European Union (AU-EU) Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, says South Africa correspondent Fred Meintjes. read more

After a week of heavy rains and flooding, the second conventional South African refrigerator ship carrying citrus fruits from the Western Cape region, whose campaign will last until October, departed on June 20 to the US market. read more

Africa is enjoying increased fruit exports to the EU, the United Kingdom and Asia, helping to fill a growing supply gap occasioned by low harvests in those markets. According to the EU Citrus Semi-Annual Report, the production of citrus fruits in Europe is expected to decrease by 10 per cent in
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IFPA's Southern Africa Conference has become an essential event on Southern Africa's fresh produce industry calendar. This year's conference is set to take place from 1 to 3 August at the Century City Conference Centre, Century City, Cape Town, South Africa. read more

The Citrus Growers' Association of South Africa (CGA) has written to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza. The brief amounted to a request that Ms Didiza will make unfair and discriminatory pest regulations by the European Union a priority at the 5th
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A variety of black table grapes, known locally as "Black Magic", is widely used by Egyptian growers and is in high demand on local and export markets. However, growers have found themselves in legal turmoil over the use of this variety. read more

Moroccan tomatoes are becoming increasingly popular in the European Union. For the first time last year, Morocco overtook Spain as the largest tomato supplier in the European Union, with only Netherlands exporting more. What’s next for Morocco? read more

In the past two weeks, many imported fruits have been launched, including American Washington cherries, Australian tangerines, South African oranges, and Monthong durians from southern Thailand. read more

The Southern African Food Systems Transformation Alliance celebrated its official launch at the Johannesburg Country Club in South Africa. Companies such as Unilever and Freshmark Systems, representing 24 fresh produce markets, signed a covenant to commit to local sourcing ambitions with an
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Last week, the Dutch company OV Fruit received its first shipment of Navels from South Africa. "These oranges come from Marble Hall [in the] Limpopo [province]. They're still a little light in color but are beautiful, juicy, and very tasty. We expect the first Valencias in four to five weeks,
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